Well that's a broken mainspring ... Also a broken tooth on the ratchet wheel.
Over on Instagram I received several comments and a couple direct messages about this image asking how this could have happened to a mainspring.
Although this is a spectacular case, it's not uncommon with old steel springs. The watch was wound up when it stopped running for what ever reason. The spring was at least mostly coiled in toward the middle. It partly "set" in that shape over time, so tension on the coils was uneven. There was some rust that weakened the material. The outer coils just gave way at some point and opened up, while parts of the spring stayed "wound" in the middle. The weakness and uneven tension cause multiple breaks because the spring can't uncoil.
Everything is in really nice condition. There's a slight grain to the finish on the plates.
I ended up replacing the upper balance jewel due to just a bit too much wear. A hairspring adjustment was also called for, and I am pretty sure that still isn't quite right. It's always a pain with these smaller Elgins... I'm leaving it in the case running for awhile, so the stem will be in winding mode.
It took quite a lot of work to get the rate in the ballpark, but it's finally ready for a few days of testing. Mechanically, just as far as running correctly, it's very good.
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